Frozen food cabinet



Dec. 22, 1953 E. E. SANDERS ET AL FROZEN FOOD CABINET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed May 22, 1951 ANDERS ENTORS ERNEST E. SANDERS BY GARLAND E.SANDERSATTORN ELLSWORTH E. 5

Dec. 22, 1953 E. E. SANDERS ET AL FROZEN FOOD CABINET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed May 22, 1951 s\ s R S Y SE m R T R E N R N E D A E N S O m E n A HA m m D T N O AW B E L S T O RL l RAL i E G E Y Y i B r\ v C D m A 5 T iE w L Patented Dec. 22, 1953 lEROZENlFOOD CABINET 'ErnestEfSan'ders;GarlaniFEiSafidersiand *EilswnrthlE; Sanders, Detroit; Mich.

.ihpplicationlMaylzzgl951, -Seria'lNo. 227392 fithegpresent'inventionrelates 'tomormallyfopen top frozen'food :cabinetsand'speciiicallytosuch cabinets operable for the storage and dispensing ofice jcream. f

the'objects ofth'e invention 'is 'a cabinet 'Oftt'he type'specified'which will not "require icerem'oval 'exceptiatmuchlongerintervals than IFigILisaperspective viewjof the cabinet with Ipartslbrokenaway. g

:TiglZ' is: a substantially central sectional View of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of one of the dehydrating co'ilsan'd itstroughon line 3-3 of Fig. 4. Y

Fig. i4 is -"a--secti'or-1al view 'on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is 'a-diagrarnmatic view indicating *the heater installationzandFig. .7 .is a diagrammatic view indicatingthe coil installation.

Asdn'dicated in the drawings. a .cabinetinvolving .themresen't inventionconsists (if an open .top food .receptac'le, preferably covered with .a.suitablemetallic outer sheathing 10,, within which isra llayer .of. heatinsulating material WA, this, oflconrse, extending around the. sides and.in.the bottom. "The'inner wall of the'"bottom "is also preferably sheetmetal While the inner side wall and liner 10B is what is known in thetrade as a plate coil. This consists of two metal'plates, one or both ofwhich is provided with ribs, the open sides of which register to form apassage or tube. The plates are welded together between the ribs toprevent intercommunication between the passages and the latter are soarranged that they form a continuous passage or coil, the ends of whichare extended to anedge of the sheets so that access to the passage maybe had at both ends. A suitable plate coil is so bent around the insideof the cabinet that it forms the lining thereof and the ends of the coilconnected as will be hereinafter explained.

This liner IOB extends to near the top of the receptacle and the spaceenclosing the insulation is covered by means'of a suitable,non-metallic,

6 Claims. =(Cl. 62- 8925) poorheat eoriducting plate 1110. "Thisreceptacle is mcunted'uponat suitable pedestal 1 H mwmen is housed the"compressor condenser -unit, suitable grating t In being provide'dtoallow a ir circulati'on-therethroug'h;

As "shown; the receptacle isipreferably greater in length thaniiinwidthand-mountedwithinthe open top thereof and extending'transverselyeare oneor more dehydration poi-1's t2, two being shown, but cabinets "using one'or three or more are in "contemplation.

' These coilsiZ arepreferablydfitheTornr-Shown in Figs. 3 .to 5 "and 7"and 'consist'of a-ipaiwof' intertwined helices I 211 having their axesspaced and substantially parallel, the spacing being somewhat lessthan-the "diameter of -a helix so as toproduce 'a'smallf-longitudinal'passage =l-3-*common to both helices. The co'ils lia-are *con nected at one end so as to form them intoon a continuouscoil.' The coils .l 2 are mounteirtransversely of the {receptacle andibetvneen levels of the top edges "of "the outer and-inner surfaces ofthe sidewall-of the receptacle; and extending acrossthe' open endthereof.

Mounted within 'theireceptacle andsupporting to-and through the bottomof the receptaclean'd refrigerationcircuit for trier-cabinet."In-this*'-'fig-' urethere is shown-conventionally an-expansion valve I5to which refrigerant is led through the conduit MA from thecondenser-compressor unit indicated as a whole at l6. From the valve I 5the refrigerant flows to a header I513 from which it flows to the coilsl2. At the other end of the coils I2 is a second header H5O whichcollects the refrigerant and leads it to one end of the liner coil IQB.The other end of the latter is connected through a conduit I5D to thecontrol side of the valve l5 from which a conduit 15E leads to thesuction side of the compressor of unit It.

In Fig. 6 there is shown diagrammatically the heater circuit fordefrosting coils l2. In this figure, a continuous electric heater I! ofwell known construction is indicated, these heaters consisting of aresistance heated element enclosed in a flexible insulating covering toproduce a filament resembling a wire of small diameter.

As indicated, a suitable length of such heater is passed up through oneof the drain tubes I33 and lies in the V-bottom of the trough 23 whereit is arranged to lie in the small longitudinal passage I 3 common tothe two helices of the coil 12. It is preferably looped back upon itselfso that four strands of the heater lie in the passage.

The heater element is then extended to the other coil l2 in which it ismounted in the same fashion. The end portion is then led down along theV-bottom of the second trough and down through its drain. The two endsof the heater element are of course arranged to be connected to asuitable electric current supply.

As indicated in Fig. 2, the water receiving vessel [30 may be so locatedthat warm air from the condenser will be passed over it to evaporate thewater.

The controls for the cabinet may be the conventional temperaturecontrol, operating the unit l6 whenevernecessary to maintain the desiredtemperature in the food receptacle. Such operation must of coursemaintain both the liner and the coils l2 at quite a low temperature forthe preservation of 0 F. or below for ice cream.

In operation, therefore, and with the coils so located that air enteringthe receptacle reaches them first, they collect a layer of frost ratherquickly. Defrosting of the coils 12 at intervals is therefore necessary.For this reason, the heater I1 is used and by means of a suitable timer(not shown) current is supplied to the heater for a sufficient time, atsuitable predetained as liquid until it has flowed. out of the draintube.

We claim: I

1. A frozen food cabinet having a normally open top and consisting of aheat insulated food receiver having a refrigerating coil lining itsvertical walls, an air dehydrating coil extending across the open top ofsaid receiver above the level of said lining and below the top opening,means for selectively defrosting said dehydrating coil, and means forremoving the water from said defrosting operation.

2. A frozen food cabinet having a normally open top and consisting of aheat insulated food receiver having a refrigerating coil lining itsvertical walls, an air dehydrating coil extending across the open top ofsaid recesses above the level of said lining and below the top openingand means for selectively defrosting said dehydrating coil.

3. A frozen food cabinet having a normally open top and consisting of aheat insulated food receiver having a refrigerating coil lining itsvertical walls, an air dehydrating coil extending across the open top ofsaid receiver above the level of said lining and below the top opening,said coils being connected together as a continuous refrigerating coil,means for selectively defrosting said dehydrating coil, and means forremoving the Water from said defrosting operation.

4. In a frozen food cabinet, 2. refrigerated well food receiver, an airdehydrating coil located immediately above the level of the wellrefrigerating means in said well, a heat insulated trough under saidcoil in position to receive water from said coil when defrosting, saidtrough having its bottom longitudinally inclined, and heating meansextending along said bottom and adjacent said coil.

5. A frozen food cabinet having a normally open top and comprising aheat insulated food receptacle, a refrigerating coil lining for the sidewalls of said receptacle, a plurality of air dehy-. drating coilsextending transversely of said receptacle above the level of said liningand below the top opening, a header connecting said dehydrating coils atone end, an expansion valve for dei livering refrigerant to said header,a second header connecting the other ends of said dehydrating coils andopening to said lining coil, a heater adjacent said dehydrating coilsand means for intermittently operating said heater.

6. An air dehydrating coil for frozen, food cabinets consisting of apair of intertwined helical coils connected together at one end therebyproviding a continuous coil and having their axes substantially paralleland spaced, the spacing bee i ing to a distance less than the diameterof the helix whereby to provide a small longitudinalv passage common toboth helices, and heating means located in'said passage and in contactwith both said coils.

ERNEST E. SANDERS. GARLAND E. SANDERS. ELLSWORTH E. SANDERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

